Athletics 3, Red Sox 2

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP)—Joe Kennedy has been Oakland’s tough-luck pitcher the
first two months. So perhaps it was fitting that a lucky bounce helped give
Kennedy his first win in nearly a month.

Kennedy shut down Boston for seven innings, Bobby Crosby drove in two runs
after a potential groundout deflected off first base for a double, and the
Oakland Athletics handed the Red Sox their season-high fourth straight loss, 3-2
on Wednesday night.

“It’s nice to actually get a win,” Kennedy said after his first victory
since May 10. “I keep seeing that wins don’t really mean anything or establish
how well you pitch in a game. But it’s always nice to get one.”

Series at a Glance

The A’s have ridden their strong starting staff to win the first three games
of this four-game series, extending their home winning streak over Boston to
seven. The games this week have all been close, an extra-inning win Monday, a
2-0 decision Tuesday, followed by the one-run game Wednesday.

Kennedy (2-4) followed up the performances by Dan Haren and Lenny DiNardo,
holding Boston scoreless until the seventh inning to win for just the second
time in 11 starts this season. He has allowed more than three runs only once all
season but has rarely gotten the support he needed to win.

But with RBI hits by two slumping players—Crosby and Jack Cust—in a
three-run fourth inning against Tim Wakefield (5-7), Kennedy had enough runs to
get the win.

“When I saw him after the game, I said, ‘We finally got you one,”’ Crosby
said. “It was good to see that. He pitched so well the whole year. It’s tough
to see as a teammate, a guy that has done so well but we can’t score any runs
for him. His luck was bound to turn a little bit if he keeps pitching the way he
was.”

Kennedy allowed two runs and seven hits and was also helped by three double
plays started by third baseman Eric Chavez, giving Boston eight in the previous
two games.

The Red Sox finally broke through in the seventh when Kevin Youkilis hit an
RBI triple and scored on Wily Mo Pena’s groundout to cut Oakland’s lead to 3-2.
Kennedy got out of the inning and three relievers finished it, with Santiago
Casilla getting four outs for his first career save.

Boston, which still has the best record in the majors at 37-21, is now on
its longest skid since dropping six straight last August, the final three in
Oakland.

The losing streak started with a home loss to the New York Yankees on Sunday
night, followed by a cross country flight that didn’t get the Red Sox into their
Bay Area hotel until 5:30 a.m. Monday. David Ortiz said the travel has sapped
some of Boston’s intensity.

“We’re playing well but it’s just not here,” Ortiz said. “We don’t have
the intensity we had. That’s my view. We have a lot of guys trying, trying,
trying, but can’t come through.”

The frustration boiled over in the eighth inning when manager Terry Francona
was ejected by home plate umpire Dan Iassogna for arguing balls and strikes.

Oakland has its starting pitchers to thank for a season-high five-game
winning streak. A’s starters are now 6-1 with a 1.29 ERA in the first nine games
of this 10-game homestand, helping Oakland move a season-best four games over
.500.

The A’s took advantage of a lucky bounce to score three times in the fourth
inning. Chavez’s one-out grounder hit first base and bounced over Youkilis into
right field for a double.

“Things aren’t going our way,” Youkilis said. “That’s the kind of stuff
that happens. There’s not much you can do about it. You just have to bounce
back.”

Cust, who had only one RBI in his last 13 games, scored Chavez on a two-out
double. Crosby, who had six hits in his previous 40 at-bats, added a two-run
single to make it 3-0.

“I had Crosby 1-2 and I tried to bury a hard one in the dirt but I left it
up,” Wakefield said. “It’s tough when one pitch makes the difference. I make a
bad pitch and they get two extra runs.”

Wakefield’s knuckleball had Oakland fooled most of the rest of the night. He
struck out a season-high eight batters in 6 2-3 innings, allowing three runs and
seven hits. Wakefield has lost four of his last five starts with a 7.98 ERA.

Notes

Evan O’Dorney, the 13-year-old from Danville, Calif., who won the
Scripps National Spelling Bee last week, threw out the ceremonial first pitch.
… The A’s, who rank second-to-last in the AL in steals, stole four bases
against Wakefield and backup C Doug Mirabelli—their most in a game since May
4, 2001, also against Boston. … The Red Sox have hit into at least three
double plays in a game four times in six games this month. … Kennedy’s six
strikeouts were one more than he had in his previous four starts combined.